System and method for determining location and status of computer system server

Abstract

A system and method for collecting and displaying status information is disclosed. A group of servers is associated with a data collection unit that collects status and location information from sensors located in the servers and server racks. The data collection unit includes a communication circuit in order to allow one or more users to obtain the status and location information of the servers over a network.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A computer system, comprising: 
 a rack operable to contain a server;    a server; and    a data collection unit associated with the rack, wherein the data collection unit is operable to receive data and further comprises a communication circuit.    
     
     
         2 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the communication circuit is operable to communicate according to a network protocol.  
     
     
         3 . The computer system of  claim 2 , wherein the network protocol is HTTP, SMTP, TCP/IP, TCP, IP, ARP, IRC, UDP, IGMP or ICMP.  
     
     
         4 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the communication circuit is a web server circuit.  
     
     
         5 . The computer system of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the rack further comprises a rack sensor; and    wherein the data collection unit is operable to receive data from the rack sensor.    
     
     
         6 . The computer system of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the server further comprises a server sensor; and    wherein the data collection unit is operable to receive data from the server sensor.    
     
     
         7 . The computer system of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the rack further comprises a rack connector; and    wherein the server further comprises a server connector, wherein the rack connector and the server connector are operable to couple.    
     
     
         8 . The computer system of  claim 7 , 
 wherein the server further comprises a server sensor; and    wherein data from the server sensor may be transmitted to the data collection unit when the rack connector is coupled to the server connector.    
     
     
         9 . The computer system of  claim 7 , wherein information relating to the position of the server within the rack may be transmitted to the data collection unit when the rack connector is coupled to the server connector.  
     
     
         10 . The computer system of  claim 1 , further comprising 
 a network; and    a workstation coupled to the network, wherein a user of the workstation is able to access data from the data collection unit via the communication circuit.    
     
     
         11 . The computer system of  claim 10 , wherein the data collection unit is operable to allow a user to access the data from the data collection unit with software operable to locate and display a Web page.  
     
     
         12 . The computer system of  claim 10 , further comprising a secondary data collection program operable to receive and display data from several data collection units.  
     
     
         13 . The computer system of  claim 10 , further comprising a sensor data storage device.  
     
     
         14 . The computer system of  claim 13 , further comprising a sensor data storage program operable to 
 store and retrieve data from the sensor data storage device; and    receive data from the data collection unit.    
     
     
         15 . The computer system of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the server is associated with a unique identification number; and    wherein the data collection unit is operable to receive the unique identification number from the server.    
     
     
         16 . The computer system of  claim 15 , wherein the unique identification number is a MAC address.  
     
     
         17 . The computer system of  claim 15 , wherein the unique identification number is defined by a RFID tag device.  
     
     
         18 . The computer system of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the rack is associated with a unique identification number; and    wherein the data collection unit is operable to receive the unique identification number from the rack.    
     
     
         19 . The computer system of  claim 18 , wherein the unique identification number is defined by a RFID tag device.  
     
     
         20 . The computer system of  claim 1 , further comprising a load balancer operable to transmit a request signal to the server, wherein the server will transmit a response signal in response to the request signal if the server is properly functioning.  
     
     
         21 . The computer system of  claim 20 , wherein the data collection unit is operable to receive the request signal and the response signal, such that the data collection unit is operable to detect whether a response signal has been transmitted by the server within a selected amount of time.  
     
     
         22 . The computer system of  claim 21 , wherein the data collection unit is operable to transmit a message to the load balancer if the server has not generated a response signal within the selected amount of time.  
     
     
         23 . The computer system of  claim 10 , wherein the data collection unit is operable to transmit a message to the user.  
     
     
         24 . The computer system of  claim 12 , wherein the data collection unit is operable to transmit a message to the secondary data collection program.  
     
     
         25 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the data collection unit comprises a reader operable to read data from RFID tags.  
     
     
         26 . The computer system of  claim 25 , wherein the server is associated with a RFID tag that contains a unique identification number.  
     
     
         27 . The computer system of  claim 26 , wherein the data collection unit is operable to determine the location of the server within the rack.  
     
     
         28 . The computer system of  claim 25 , wherein the rack is associated with a RFID tag that contains a unique identification number.  
     
     
         29 . A data collection unit, comprising 
 a data collection circuit operable to receive data;    a communication circuit; and    a port operable to allow the web server circuit to receive a data request and transmit data received from the data collection circuit in response to the data request.    
     
     
         30  The data collection unit of  claim 29 , wherein the data collection unit is associated with a rack and is operable to receive data from the rack.  
     
     
         31 . The data collection unit of  claim 30 , 
 wherein the rack comprises a rack sensor; and    wherein the data collection unit is operable to receive data from the rack sensor.    
     
     
         32 . The data collection unit of  claim 31 , 
 wherein the rack is associated with a unique identification number; and    wherein the data collection unit is operable to receive the unique identification number.    
     
     
         33 . The data collection unit of  claim 30 , wherein the rack comprises the data collection unit.  
     
     
         34 . The data collection unit of  claim 29 , wherein the data collection unit is associated with a server and is operable to receive data from the server.  
     
     
         35 . The data collection unit of  claim 34 , 
 wherein the server comprises a server sensor; and    wherein the data collection unit is operable to receive data from the server sensor.    
     
     
         36 . The data collection unit of  claim 34 , 
 wherein the server is associated with a unique address; and    wherein the data collection unit is operable to receive the unique address from the server.    
     
     
         37 . The data collection unit of  claim 29 , further comprising a reader operable to read data from a RFID tag.  
     
     
         38 . The data collection unit of  claim 29 , wherein the communication circuit is operable to communicate according to a network protocol.  
     
     
         39 . The data collection unit of  claim 38 , wherein the network protocol is HTTP, SMTP, TCP/IP, TCP, IP, ARP, IRC, UDP, IGMP or ICMP.  
     
     
         40 . The data collection unit of  claim 29 , wherein the communication circuit is a web server circuit.  
     
     
         41 . A method for collecting and displaying server status information for a computer system comprising a server comprising a server sensor, a data collection unit associated with the server and further comprising a communication circuit, wherein the data collection unit is operable to retrieve data from the server sensor and transmit data via the communication circuit, comprising: 
 receiving data from the server sensor; and    transmitting the server sensor data to an agent.    
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the computer system further comprises a network.  
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the agent is a workstation coupled to the computer network.  
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the workstation is operable to query the data collection unit to request data from the data collection unit.  
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 44 , further comprising 
 querying the data collection unit.    
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the computer system further comprises a rack operable to contain a server, wherein the data collection unit is associated with the rack and each server contained in the rack.  
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the rack further comprises a rack sensor.  
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 47 , further comprising: 
 receiving the data from the rack sensor; and    transmitting the rack sensor data to an agent.    
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the server is associated with a unique server identification number and the data collection unit is operable to receive the unique server identification number, further comprising 
 receiving the unique server identification number; and    transmitting the unique server identification number to an agent.    
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 49 , 
 wherein the computer system further comprises a network and    wherein the agent is a workstation coupled to the computer network.    
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 49  wherein the agent is a software application operable to display data collected from the data collection unit.  
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 49 , 
 wherein the unique server identification number is defined by a RFID tag that is associated with the server; and    the data collection unit further comprises a reader that is operable to read data from the RFID tag.    
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the server is associated with a unique rack identification number and the data collection unit is operable to receive the unique rack identification number, further comprising 
 receiving the unique rack identification number; and    transmitting the unique rack identification number to an agent.    
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 53 , 
 wherein the computer system further comprises a network and    wherein the agent is a workstation coupled to the computer network.    
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 53  wherein the agent is a software application operable to display data collected from the data collection unit.  
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 53 , 
 wherein the unique rack identification number is defined by a RFID tag that is associated with the rack; and    the data collection unit further comprises a reader that is operable to read data from the RFID tag.    
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the computer system further comprises a storage device.  
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 57 , further comprising storing the data collected from the data collection unit in the storage device.  
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 41  wherein the agent is a software application operable to display data collected from the data collection unit.  
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 41  wherein the computer system further comprises a load bearer operable to transmit a request signal to the server, wherein the server will transmit a response signal in response to request signal if the server is properly functioning.  
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein the data collection unit is operable to receive the request signal and the response signal, such that the data collection unit is operable to detect whether a response signal has been transmitted by the server within a selected amount of time.  
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 61 , further comprising 
 determining whether the response signal has been transmitted by the server within the selected amount of time; and    sending a message to the load bearer if the response signal has not been transmitted by the server within the selected amount of time.